1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system which comprises an image forming apparatus and a toner container adapted to be demountably mounted to the image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus for use in the image forming system, and method for setting a printing function for the image forming system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an image forming apparatus using toner for a recording member (e.g., a paper, a plastic sheet, a cloth or an OHP sheet), such as a copy machine, a facsimile machine, a printer or a complex machine having a combination of their functions, is designed to transfer a toner image formed on a photosensitive member, onto the recording member, and subject the recording member carrying the toner image thereon to a fixing process based on a fixing unit to form an image on the recording member.
In order to supply toner onto the photosensitive member, a development roller of a development unit is disposed in a development region of the photosensitive member so as to supply toner from a detachable toner container (toner cartridge) through the use of agitating means and charging means.
Therefore, the image forming apparatus using the toner container involves a need for replacing the toner container with a new one when toner therein has run out.
The toner container includes one type designed to serve as a developer tank while being mounted to the image forming apparatus, and another type designed to be temporarily mounted to the image forming apparatus and then demounted therefrom just after toner has completely replenished from the toner container into a developer tank provided in the image forming apparatus. The toner container demounted from the image forming apparatus after completion of the toner replenishment will be collected by a recycling dealer or the like, and reused after being refilled with toner.
Heretofore, there has been provided an image forming system comprising an ink cartridge equipped with a wireless tag, and a compatibility diagnostic device adapted to identify a type of ink cartridge based on information from the wireless tag. The image forming system is operable, when the ink cartridge is diagnosed with incompatibility as a result of the identification by the compatibility diagnostic device, to restrict an ink-cartridge replacement operation (e.g., generate alarm sound).
There has also been provided an image forming system comprising a toner cartridge equipped with an IC tag, and an image forming apparatus operable, when the toner cartridge is mounted on a mounting section, and a toner color corresponding to the mounting section is not identical to a toner color indicated by the IC tag of the toner cartridge, to inhibit a printing operation.
Heretofore, in the image forming apparatus designed to transfer a toner image formed on a photosensitive member, onto a recording member, and subject the recording member carrying the toner image thereon to a fixing process based on a fixing unit to form an image on the recording member, a toner container mountable to a specific type of image forming apparatus has been limited to a single specific type, in view of using an appropriate type of toner for the specific type of image forming apparatus. Thus, in the recycle process of collecting and reusing a used toner container, if the specific type of toner container is refilled with a different type of toner, and reused, quality of the toner is likely to exert an influence on a printing result to cause a problem about a change in image quality.